Protect At All Costs
by NinjaQueen33
Summary: Ace, Luffy, and Otama are all (adopted) siblings, but they're so close and protective over each other that they put blood siblings to shame. Here are little stories of them protecting one another and bonding as a true family would. Protective siblings fluff! Modern A.U. Current: Ace and Tama get caught up in Luffy's shenanigans at the Raftel festival
1. Otama's bullies

Okay so this is my first One Piece fanfic that I am posting, I have plenty more that are WIP but I just wanted to get my feet wet with this one.

I caught up to the Wano arc in the anime and Otama is the cutest little thing and she must be PROTECTED! I watched all the Wano episodes up to 900 so far so I got this idea and decided to write on it.

Modern A.U. where Ace, Luffy, and Otama are all (adopted) siblings but they're so close and protective of each other that they put blood siblings to shame :)

Also little note: Tama is 8 , Luffy is 13 , and Ace is 16

Enjoy!

* * *

The 4 o'clock sunlight invaded through the open windows, illuminating the photo of the boy with the blonde curly hair. It brought out his loveable bright smile that his siblings would kill to see again. The scented smoke from the burning incense blew in front of Sabo's pictured face. His picture sat center on top of the living room stand, in honor of his memory.

The fragrance from the incense smoke made its way in the kitchen. The pleasant smell ran past Ace and Luffy's nose as they played a card game. The brothers were having their second UNO match since Luffy was in denial of his brutal loss the first round.

Luffy observed his deck then peaked behind his cards to look at his brother. Ace was busy concentrating on what move to use next. After a few seconds of contemplating he used his free hand to take out his next card. He playfully smirked and slapped his card on the table. The green skip card.

Luffy panicked as he saw that Ace only had one card left. That meant...

"No..."

"You're finished." Ace took his last card and slammed it on the table. Luffy choked up as he saw the green 7 card, representing his defeat.

"Noooooo!" Luffy bent back in his chair as he ran his fingers through his hair. His frustration almost made him fall off of his seat, causing Ace to burst out laughing.

"Looks like you lose again."

Luffy sat up and growled, "Another rematch!"

Ace sighed as he took all the cards, making sure to create two large decks and combine them to one large stack. "You're just going to lose again. Just admit that you can't beat me."

"No way!"

The front door opened; the brothers didn't bother looking to see who it was since they were too invested in their game. They probably figured it was their grandfather coming home early from work today.

Until they heard a high-voiced sob.

Ace and Luffy automatically knew who that was, instantly standing up from their chairs. They abandoned their gang of cards and rushed towards the living room. What they saw at the front door broke their hearts into tiny pieces. It was a sight they definitely didn't want to see.

It was their little sister, Otama. Crying on the floor.

Ace was the first to rush over to her, he bent down and placed his hand on her back. He brought her close to his chest and rubbed her back in circles, soothing her loud sobs. Otama began to calm down as she felt Ace rock her slowly while brushing her hair out of her face.

Luffy bent down to their level, he reached over and grabbed Otama's little hand and squeezed it softly.

The sobbing girl looked up to her freckled brother and saw the sympathetic and concerned look he wore on his face. Noticing that she had calmed down, he kept holding her and pushed her loose hair strands behind her ear.

"Tama." Ace called out.

The girl turned around to face her big brother, her plump cheeks stained with dried tears. "Ace..." she croaked out.

"What happened?" he asked in a calm yet worried tone.

His soothing voice made Otama feel comforted, sensing that Ace was willing to listen to her problems. Since he was a popular guy at his high school, he tends to be quite busy most of the time and hangs out with his friends and girlfriend a lot. These days he was in and out the house, so the fact that he still made time for her really meant a lot.

"Yeah, why are you crying?" Luffy asked, his brows upward with worry.

Otama sniffed back up the snot threatening to drip from her nose. "Th-These stupid mean boys in my class stole my lu-lunch and pushed me off the jungle gym. I think th-they made my ankle twist and I ha-have this bruise on my k-k-knee and I haven't eaten all day." On cue her stomach rumbled loudly, making her hold her belly as she kept sobbing.

Anger settled within the older brothers as they heard this information. Luffy's signature straw hat shadowed over his eyes. His fist balled up so tight that his fingernails almost drew blood from his skin. He wanted to punch the bastards that did this to his little sister.

Ace, on the other hand, blood was boiling. He knows that he has a nasty temper and a short fuse for an attitude, but he hasn't felt anger like this in a while. He was so upset that his entire body felt hot, like a raging house fire that started from a mere discarded cigarette. How dare someone do this to his baby sister. His sweet, adorable, hyperactive sister that means no harm to anyone. She was the last person to deserve this kind of treatment. Whoever did this to her was going to pay, big time. Ace swore on his life on that.

"Tama, do you know the boys who did this to you?" Luffy spoke in a dangerously low tone.

Otama reflected to when it all happened. She knew the two boys all too well, they were her classmates after all. And after what they did to her, there was no way she'll forget their faces.

**...**

_Otama couldn't contain her excitement as she held the box of sticky sweets in her hands. The bell rung, letting everyone know that the school day was finally over. The third-grader smiled goofily as she stood up and ran out of the classroom. She waited all day to eat the dango she made for herself, even skipping lunchtime just to eat it at the end of the day._

_Sitting alone on the jungle gym, she opened the box revealing the sweet dumplings. They were three each layered on four skewer sticks, decorated with sweet soy sauce. Otama felt her mouth start to water up so she wasted no time and grabbed one stick. But before she even took a bite, she heard two snickers coming from behind._

_She turned around to see two boys from her class, Zion and Neil. Her knitted her brows in confusion, she never really spoke to them before so she wondered what did they want with her._

_"What you got there Otama?" Neil, the redhead, asked._

_"Uh...um..." She looked down at her lunch box "Just some dango." She answered truthfully. Even though she presented her usual kind nature, deep down she felt so confused and honestly wanted to eat her sweets in peace. For some reason, she didn't feel a good aura coming from them by the way they were smirking at her._

_They stepped forward and the blonde one, Zion, got up to her face. "Give it to us."_

_Otama immediately stood up and held it close to her chest. "No way! I made this so it belongs to me. Now leave me alone!"_

_Zion turned to Neil and nodded his head towards her. "Take it." he ordered._

_The redhead followed his command and yanked the box from her grasp. Otama gasped as she saw her rewarding dessert in his possession. Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt powerless against them. All she wanted to do was eat her dango in peace. What did she do to them to make them steal her long-awaited snack?_

_"Please..." Otama looked up at them with blurry wet eyes "Give it back."_

_She charged over to them and tried to take it back, but he just held it higher than her given height. The poor girl tried so hard to grab it back, even jumping up and down just to simply touch it. Zion was beginning to get sick of her frustration and constant weeping so he decided to push her off the edge._

_It was so sudden that Otama didn't realize what force pushed her off the jungle gym. Those few seconds felt like it was going in slow motion as she saw her tears passing by in the air. When she fell to the ground something in her body moved out of place. A shot of pain rushed through her legs, making her wince and groan loudly._

_When she looked down, she saw that her right ankle was twisted a little too far off from normal. Scratches and cuts were marked all over her legs from the playground wood chips. Her left knee felt pounding pain from the impact of the fall, coloring that part of her skin with a burning red. Her tears that were threatening to fall before trickled down her cheek, like a slow-flowing river. Otama began to sob as she couldn't bear the excruciating pain that was ringing all around her legs._

_She looked up to see that the boys had already left with her box of dango. Using her left foot, she tried to sit up and hold herself on the jungle gym bars. More pain shot through her right ankle just by moving it, confirming that her ankle was sprained. Even though she was crying from the intense pain, she tried to find a way to walk. She didn't have a phone so she couldn't call her brothers to come to pick her up._

_She had to get home, she couldn't just sit here and bear this pain alone. So she quickly wiped her rushing tears and sucked her snot back in her nostrils. Using her left foot, she hopped along, holding her right leg up so she wouldn't step on it. She made slow progress but she powered through and hopped towards the direction of her house that was about two blocks away._

_She had to be a big girl, just until she got home. So that's what she's gonna do._

**...**

Tears fell slowly from the girl's glassy eyes as she recalled the horrible memory.

"It was two boys from my class, their names are Zion and Neil."

"Do you know what they look like?" Ace asked.

"Umm..." Otama looked down to the floor "One of them has curly red hair and the other has short blonde hair. They always around with each other and hang out at the park after school every day."

Luffy cracked his neck, "I see."

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Otama asked, her violet eyes shining with innocent concern.

Ace placed his hand on top of her head. Otama looked up to see her older brother's radiant smile shine down at her. "We'll just have them a little chat with them. As your brothers, we have to let them know not to mess with our little sister."

"He's right." Otama turned around to see Luffy's reassuring smile. His long arm reached out to wipe the rest of her tears away. "And when we come back, we'll take you to the doctor and go eat some delicious meat and dango afterward. Okay?"

Otama's frown immediately turned upwards, her eyes shining with pure joy. "Yeah!"

"So just lay down on the couch and take it easy. We'll be back before you know it. I promise."

Ace face turned serious as he stared at his brother. "Luffy."

Luffy looked from Otama and saw Ace's serious expression. As they stared in each other's eyes he already understood what he was silently telling him. Sometimes they didn't need words to tell each other what they were truly feeling.

Luffy nodded at him while pushing his straw hat backward. "Yeah."

**ooo**

Ace and Luffy walked along the grassy field of the local park. Barely any people were around since it was a busy weekday. In the distance stood two boys who were laughing obnoxiously and seemed to be joking around. From behind, one of them had short blonde hair and the other had curly red hair. They certainly matched Tama's description. As Luffy and Ace walked closer, they began to interpret their distant but loud conversation.

"Did you see her pathetic face when she kept jumping up to get her lunch back? Ha ha ha ha, it was priceless!"

"Ha ha, yeah! She was crying like a baby over some damn dango. It was hilarious!"

The brothers gave each other a look and nodded. These were the boys.

"Wah! Give me my lunch back!" The blonde boy mocked while rubbing his eyes with his fist. The redhead burst out laughing at his impression of Otama. Ace clenched his jaw due to his rising anger.

The brothers wasted no time and proceed on towards them.

"I can't wait to see the look on her face when we steal her lunch again tomorrow. But I just know that she'll be limping because we pushed her off the jungle gym."

"Heh, that'll be a sight to see. She's such a crybaby that she might not even come to school tomorrow."

"Well, that will just let us know that she knows not to mess with us."

"Hey!" A harsh voice shouted out.

The boys turned around to see two guys who looked considerably older than them. They saw the serious looks on their faces and their clenched fist. Nervousness settled within both of their stomachs but they didn't show it on their faces.

"What do you want?" The redhead spoke rudely. He hoped his tone would try to intimidate them, but it failed when they walked up closer, their serious faces never changing.

"Are you the assholes that took Tama's lunch?" Ace questioned, his face tight with pure rage.

"And caused her to have her ankle twisted?" Luffy added, his eyes peeking from the shadows of his straw hat.

The two boys stayed silent for a moment before Ace rushed over and grabbed the collar of the blonde boy's shirt. "Fucking answer me!"

"Y-Yeah we did. Wh-What about it?" The redhead answered for them. The blonde couldn't hide fear anymore, shivering a bit as he felt Ace clench the top part of his shirt in his fist. He can feel the anger coming from his very essence. He wondered who he was and what he had to do with Otama.

"That's our little sister."

That was all Luffy needed to say for the two boys to crap their pants. Realization and fear spread across their faces as they saw the two standing over them. Since they were older and taller, they almost seemed like angry giants ready to release their wrath.

Luffy cracked his fist and stared at them with such a serious expression that one who knows Luffy's goofy nature might think he was a totally different person. The veins in Ace's muscles appeared as he tightened his hands into a hard fist. Hatred, fury, and revenge were all in Ace's eyes right now. He wanted nothing more than to beat the hell out the both of them at this very moment. So much as though he didn't even want Luffy to have his share, because his share of vengeance was just that large.

"This is for Tama." Ace spoke before releasing his fist straight to the blonde's jaw. Luffy saw that the redhead was running away so he chased him down. It wasn't long before he caught up to him and punched him at the back of his head.

Thankfully, no one was around at that moment to see them beat the crap out of them. Which worked out in their favor from getting arrested for beating up a couple of nine-year-olds. The two boys groaned in pain as they felt punches come their way left and right with no time to recover. They never knew that Otama had brothers and scary older brothers at that. If they would have known that they would of never...

Ace and Luffy took a satisfying few minutes to let out all of their pent up fury that they have been feeling for the past hour. When they were done, they backed away a little, huffing out the last remnants of their ferocity.

The two boys were feeling mountains worth of pain as they laid on the dry grass. The blonde was unconscious from Ace hard punches so he was out of it all the while groaning. The redhead was conscious enough to still watch them from afar, aching from the splitting headache Luffy caused him. Each breath he took hurt like crazy and he just knew his body was going to be bruised and sore in the morning. Although his vision was blurry due to fatigue the last thing he saw was one last serious look from Otama's brothers before closing them shut.

Luffy and Ace smirked and turned around to walk back home. The two brothers gave each other a high-five for their accomplished revenge.

**ooo**

"Although your ankle is sprained, this temporary cast will allow you to walk until it heals back in place. Also, keep your bruise bandaged so that it can heal properly." The doctor told Otama. The eight-year-old nodded while eyeing the green cast that was on her right ankle.

"How long does she have to wear the cast?" Ace asked.

"For about two to possibly six weeks. If you try not to run and move it more than necessary then it will have a better chance to heal faster."

Luffy nodded, "Okay, thanks doctor lady."

"She has a name Luffy." Ace gave her a smile of gratitude. "Thank you so much, Dr. Araki."

"Anytime. Well Otama, I'll see you in a couple weeks for a checkup." With that, the doctor left the room, leaving the three siblings alone together.

Ace sat up from his chair and bent down in front of Otama. His back was facing her with his arms out backward, ready to catch her. "Here, Tama. You can ride on my back."

Otama face lit up and wasted no time to jump on her brother's back. The freckled teen didn't expect that much impact from her jump so he stepped forward a little. Luckily, he caught himself from falling forward to the floor.

Luffy stood up and stretched out his stiff muscles. His stomach rumbled loudly, causing him to whine while patting it helplessly. "I'm so hungry. Can we go eat now?"

"Yeah, you two promised me meat and dango! Let's go eat!" Otama shouted, patting her hands on Ace's back repeatedly. Ace pushed her up from falling and stood up straight. "Alright, alright. We'll go eat...but Tama you have to help us make the dango since you make them the best."

Otama nodded, "Oh wait, you guys are going to help me?"

"Why wouldn't we? This is your special treat so of course we'll have to help you out. Isn't that right Luffy?"

Luffy was busy picking his nose, staring off to space, letting them know that he tuned out moments ago. Once Luffy noticed them staring, he flicked his booger to the side and gave them a confused look. "Why are you two staring at me? Are we gonna go eat or not?"

Blank expressions plastered on Ace and Otama's faces. Luffy just turned his head to the side like a confused dog and shrugged. After that, he was the first to walk out of the patient room. The two just looked at each other and sighed.

"I'll just help you out and make sure Luffy doesn't burn the house down." Ace shook his head.

Otama made a nervous smile. "Yeah, that would be nice."

That night the three siblings ate meat and dango for dinner. Although Ace and Luffy can be literal vacuums cleaners when it comes to food, they remembered to save some food left for their sister since she tends to be a slow eater.

The family ate in peace and gluttony as they bonded together after a long and hard day. Sadly there were no leftovers for their grandfather when he came home late, even though Otama tried her best to leave some. Garp sulked in the kitchen as he heard his grandchildren's snores all the way from the living room. He swore he would have punched Ace and Luffy awake if it wasn't for Otama sleeping in between them.

He'll have to pocket his hungry revenge for now.

**ooo**

Otama slowly walked in her third-grade classroom with her green cast matching her green dress. If she had to wear a cast she at least wanted to match with it and be fashionable.

Some kids immediately noticed her with her crutches and rushed over to her with concern. Even though Otama appreciated her classmates worrying about her, she simply smiled and waved it off as no big deal. She didn't even tell them that Zion and Neil were the ones who do this to her. From what she heard from her brothers was that her mean classmates got the message to leave her alone. So it was no need to have her friends know what happened and get upset on her behalf too.

After all her friends signed her cast, she was finally able to sit down at her assigned desk. There was still a few minutes before her teacher would begin class so she just kept to herself and observed the classroom. At that moment, the two boys walked in, limping and struggling to walk to their assign seats. Most of the class started to whisper as they stole glances in their direction, wondering what happened to them.

Their seats were right next to Otama's so she tensed a bit as they approached her way. When they reached their seats, they sat down and avoided eye contact with the girl. She stole a peek and saw that they had band-aids and patches all over their face and arms. Whatever "talk" her older brothers gave them must have worked. Suddenly an imaginary light bulb popped above her head and she formed a little smirk.

She turned to her former bullies and saw that they were staring at her with scared looks on their faces. The truth was they weren't directly scared of Otama, but more so every time they looked at her, they sensed the distant yet strong wrath of her big brothers. Chills of fright ran through their sore bodies as they recalled the pain they experienced from those two.

Otama took her finger and pulled the bag under her eye down a little. She stuck out her tongue teasingly, causing the two bullies to clench their jaw in frustration.

"Don't mess with me, or I'll get my big brothers on you again." She loudly whispered before her teacher walked in.

* * *

Might (most likely will) make a part 2 if y'all really want one. Please review, favorite, all that good stuff :)

Daily reminder: Otama must be protected at all cost.

_**"Love's greatest gift is its ability to make everything it touches sacred."** **\- Barbara De Angelis**_

-NinjaQueen33


	2. Ace's first heartbreak

Hey everyone, thanks for all the support for the first chapter. I decided to make another one because I enjoy writing for it. I might do a final prompt if I see more love and support for this. But if not then this might be considered the last one so...yeah.

But anyways, enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Luffy and Tama walked inside their house, the cold air hitting against their wet skin. They shivered in their swimwear from the uncomfortable feeling. The two came from the neighborhood pool since it was a hot summer day in Foosha city.

"That was so much fun!" Otama pulled up her donut float.

Luffy nodded, "Yeah, it sucks that Ace couldn't come with us though."

"Where was he anyway? I haven't seen him all day today." Tama looked all over to locate him.

Luffy scratched his head, trying to remember. "Hmm...he told me he was going to see his girlfriend this morning."

"Oh, okay."

Music was heard from upstairs. It was loud enough for both of them to hear it from the living room. They looked at each other with confused expressions.

"Wait, is Ace here? I thought he was out." Luffy said.

Tama shrugged her shoulders and set her donut float down. "Let's go check on him."

Walking upstairs, the music became more known to their hearing, sounding like a slow song. Based on the melody and the lyrics, it seemed like it was a sad love song being played from his room. When they reached his door, they noticed that it was slightly cracked open.

Tama raised her fist and slowly knocked on the door. "Ace? You in there?"

It was a moment of silence until they heard a low "Yeah." coming from behind the door. Luffy pushed the door open, revealing his room. Ace was laying down on his bed with a depressed look on his face. He was shuffling through a gang of photos with a pair of scissors sitting next to him.

Luffy and Tama walked over to him with worry sitting on their faces. The siblings wondered why he looked so down in the dumps.

"Ace, what's wrong?" Tama asked him.

The teen sat up and placed the cut-up photos he was holding on his dresser. They saw that the photos were of him and his girlfriend, Bonney.

Ace stared down at his bed as he fiddled with hands. "I broke up with Bonney today."

The younger sibling's eyes widen from surprise. They were shocked because he and Bonney were together for so long, a year and a half. Every time she came over, they looked so in love with each other every time they interacted. Tama felt bad for Ace because she knew how much he loved and cared about Bonney. So much that she even saw it in his eyes every time he looked at her.

"Why did you two break up?" Luffy asked.

Ace paused before looking up at them. "I caught her cheating on me with some guy."

"What!?"

"Why would she do that?" Tama said with surprise.

"I don't know. For the past hour, I've been trying to think back and figure out where I went wrong to make her do this."

"Ace, it's not your fault. You treated her nothing but good. Great actually." Luffy defended.

Tama started to get angry by the second. "Yeah, it's her fault. She doesn't deserve you."

"I don't know. Maybe I wasn't listening to her enough one day? Or I probably should have taken her on better dates? Maybe I didn't-"

"No Ace, stop that right now. Stop talking down on yourself. You treated her with nothing but love and respect. Me and Luffy seen it, everyone knows it. Every time you talk about her your eyes glow up and you can't help but smile. So don't sit here and say that her cheating on you was your fault." Tama said.

Luffy nodded with an angry frown. "That's right."

"Guys..." Ace couldn't believe his usual annoying (and spoiled) siblings were comforting him right now. "Thank you. That honestly made me feel a little better. But can I just get some time to myself for right now? I'm feeling kind of depressed and I don't want to bring you all down with my problems. I've been with her for almost two years. I even told her about Sabo, and you two know that I never talk about him around just anyone, not even my friends, except for you guys. I know I should be upset at her but I can't help but feel sad that it had to end this way."

"Is that why you have this sappy music playing?" Luffy stated bluntly.

Ace couldn't help but chuckle weakly at that. "Shut up, Luffy..."

"Alright, we'll leave you alone. Let's go Luffy." Tama said.

"Okay. Feel better Ace. You'll find someone way better and cooler, I promise." Luffy patted him on his shoulder for comfort.

Ace didn't respond to that, he just laid back down on his pillow. He pulled his covers up to hide the bottom half of his face. The sappy, heartbreaking love song played from his music speakers as he depressingly stared at his room ceiling.

After Luffy closed his door shut, he sat next to Tama on the hallway floor. Tama had her fist balled up as she stared at her damp skin angrily. Luffy frowned as he put on his signature hat.

"Luffy, I really don't like Bonney."

"Me too."

The two younger siblings turned to each other, their faces holding concern for their older brother.

"I hate seeing him like this. He doesn't deserve this at all."

Luffy nodded. "We need to find a way to cheer him up. Do you have any ideas?"

Tama made a face of realization and slammed her fist into her other hand. "Oh, I know! One of my friends told me one day that her sister got over her breakup by watching movies and eating a lot of ice cream. We should buy a bunch of ice cream and surprise him with it!"

"That's a good idea. I've been craving some ice cream too. But wait, how does ice cream make someone feel better?"

Tama shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know."

"Oh...well whatever, if it's gonna make Ace feel better then ice cream it is!"

"Alright, but let's get out of our swimwear first."

**ooo**

Walking through the outlet mall, the two searched for the popular ice cream shop called "Chilly Scoops". It was known all around town as the best place to get ice cream from, so they decided to get their cure for Ace's breakup from there.

Once they entered the shop, they each ordered an ice cream cone and bought a large bucket of ice cream for Ace. Tama even got herself a lemonade to cool herself down from the heat. The two walked out the shop, Luffy happily munching on his strawberry ice cream and Tama taking sips from her lemonade drink.

As they were walking, someone in the distance caught their eye. Tama was the first one to stop in her tracks, causing Luffy to turn to her.

"What's wrong Tama?"

"That's Bonney..." she said low enough for him to her.

Luffy turned around a saw a group of girls walking in the opposing direction. They were all chatting and laughing, not even noticing the two staring at them. Bonney munched on a chocolate bar while she grinned at one of her friends.

Tama felt her anger rise the longer she stared at her.

"I'm so glad you broke up with that Ace dude. He was too much of a nice guy for you." One of her friends told her.

"Yeah, especially since you had eyes for Kid this whole time. You do know we dared you to date Ace for only six months right?" Another friend commented.

Bonney gobbled down some gummy worms next. "Well he was treating me so good, he always bought me gifts and food. Who wouldn't take advantage of that? Sucks that he finally caught me with Kid though, but hey, at least I don't have to sneak around anymore."

The girls all laughed, walking past Luffy and Tama. The two siblings' blood was boiling as they heard all of this. When they walked past them, Tama turned around, facing their backs.

"Hey, Bonney!"

Her high, child-like voice caught their attention, making them all turn around to the call out. Bonney eyed the little girl and mean mugged her when she recognized her.

"Oh, you're Ace's little siblings. Fancy meeting you here."

"How dare you do that to Ace!? How dare you talk about my big brother like that!? He treated you so great and this is how you repay him!?" Otama shouted at her. She wanted to cry because she has been holding in her pent-up anger ever since Ace told her what she did. Luffy noticed this by hearing the desperateness and frustration in her voice, but he still kept his angry gaze focused on Bonney.

Bonney let out a mocking chuckle. "Oh boo hoo, cry me a fucking river. News flash, your brother is a boring nice guy. I didn't even like him when we started dating, my friends only dared me to date him because they heard he had a crush on me." Bonney laughed. "The only reason I stayed for so long was that he was treating me like the queen I am." Bonney sighed while checking her nails. "I'm gonna miss him treating me like that, but I guess I have to move on the next nice guy who will do anything for me."

Luffy grip tightened on his ice cream cone, some of the melting strawberry ice cream ran over his fingers. "You..."

Tama walked up closer to Bonney and looked up at her. Bonney smirked at her, "You gonna cry?"

The younger girl didn't respond and simply stared at her. Her hold on her cup tightened and removed the lid swiftly. In one quick motion, she thrust her arm forward, spilling the lemonade all over Bonney. The lemonade went everywhere, that a good amount of it got on her friends.

The group of girls was shocked, to say the least. Their mouths hung open as they lemonade drip from their bodies. The sticky liquid was all on the clothes, hair, and faces.

One of the girls screamed in horror, "My hair! I have a date in an hour and it took me so long to do my hair! I can't believe you did just that!"

Bonney eyes were sharp like daggers as she stared at the little girl. "You little brat!"

Tama smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "Ace is way out of your league. He deserves someone who will match his level of love and compassion. He's just too good for you. So thanks for breaking up with him because he can honestly do better."

Bonney looked at her with disbelief, surprised by the sass this little shrimp was throwing at her.

Luffy walked up to Bonney and shoved his ice cream at her, making sure to smear it so it got in her face pretty good. Bonney gasp as the melting ice cream ran down her face to her clothes. She felt so disgusted that she screamed out in frustration, causing other people passing by to throw her weird looks. She turned around and ran away with her friends quickly running behind her.

The two siblings turn to each other and did a high five.

"Nice one Tama." Luffy smiled at her.

Tama chuckled sneakily, "You didn't do too bad yourself, big bro."

As the two began walking from the outlet mall, Luffy pouted causing Tama to look up at him.

"What's wrong Luffy?"

"I'm still hungry. I should have thought ahead before shoving my ice cream in her face."

Tama looked down at her chocolate ice cream and lifted it to him. "Here..."

Luffy brows perked up from surprise, "Really? Are you sure?"

Tama smiled, placing the cone in his hand. "Sure, I'm not really hungry anyway."

Luffy flashed her a smile of gratitude and started to eat the chocolate treat.

"Twanks Twma!" He muffled with ice cream in his mouth.

"No problem, bro."

**ooo**

Tama and Luffy enter their home, seeing Ace brood on the couch. They sighed at the depressing sight of their usually strong big brother. But Tama smiled anyway and hid the bucket of ice cream behind her back.

"Ace, we're back."

Ace slowly turned his head and didn't even smile at the sight of his younger siblings, something he usually did whenever they came home. "Oh hey..."

"We got something that can help with your breakup." Luffy cheerfully announced.

"Oh?" Ace responded in a bored tone. "What could possibly help me get over a girl I loved for almost two years?"

Tama wanted to tell Ace the whole truth of what she heard, but she quickly stopped herself. She didn't want Ace to feel more heartbroken about the fact that Bonney never felt anything towards him and used him for so long. That will just be adding more salt to the wound in his heart.

Tama brought the bucket of ice cream in front of her, presenting it to him. Ace's eyes widened when he noticed the bucket of the creamy treat. "Ice cream?"

"It's your favorite, sea salt caramel."

Ace raised a brow, turning his head slightly. "Why did you two buy ice cream?"

"My friend told me that her sister got over her breakup quicker when she ate some ice cream. She said that ice cream is the number one cure for breakups. So we decided to get you some so you can feel better!" Tama explained cheerfully.

"Mmhmm!" Luffy agreed.

Ace stared at them for a moment before bursting into laughter. Luffy and Tama looked at each other with confusion before turning back to their brother. Ace laughed so hard that he was beginning to tear up. When he calmed himself down, he wiped the side of his eyes and flashed his siblings the brightest smile he could make. The first genuine smile he formed all day.

"You two are really something else. Eating ice cream is a thing that girls typically do to get over a breakup. Not only that, but it's usually a cliché."

Luffy rubbed the back of his head while Tama sweatdropped.

"But that doesn't mean guys can't do it too. Plus, I've been craving for some sea salt caramel ice cream lately."

Luffy and Tama smiled and ran over to join him on the couch. Ace lifted the lid on the ice cream bucket off and swiped some of it with his finger. He tasted it and made a satisfied look on his face. "Mmm, it's so good. Let me go get us some spoons."

Before he got up, he looked at both Tama and Luffy and pulled them in a big hug. "I love you guys."

"We love you too." They both responded with cheeky smiles. When Ace sat up to get the spoons, Luffy turned to Tama and patted her on her head. "Mission accomplished."

Tama flashed him a thumbs up with a wink. "We make the best team, don't we?"

Luffy nodded, "You know it."

Ace overheard some of their conversation, raising a brow. "What about mission accomplished?"

The two snapped their heads towards their big brother and shook their heads quickly. "Nothing. Nothing at all." They both assured him.

**ooo**

Garp came home from a long day of training young navy troops in the making. After closing the door behind him he turned to see his three grandkids eating ice cream while watching a horror movie.

Ace, Tama, and Luffy looked towards his direction, each with a spoon of ice cream in their mouth.

"Welcome home." They all muffled.

Garp raised a brow. "Why are you three eating ice cream? Did you even eat dinner?"

"...No." They muffled.

The elder man couldn't help but chuckle at their simultaneous answers. "Well, I'll let you off the hook for tonight. These old bones are tired so I'm heading off the bed."

They all nodded and continued watching "_Buggy's Slicing Massacre Part II_" as Garp headed towards his room. The three siblings bonded that particular summer night, scoops away from finishing the bucket of ice cream.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed! Like I said before if you guys really want me to make one about Luffy then I'm willing to do so. If not then I guess you can consider this one the last one. Just let me know.

Have a great day or night :)

_**"Gratitude is a fruit of great cultivation..." - Samuel Johnson**_

-NinjaQueen33


	3. Luffy's pie contest

Hey, y'all, NinjaQueen33 here. This chapter is more Luffy-centered since I already made an Ace and Tama-centered chapter. Also, this is the last chapter of this mini-series because I only wanted to do three chapters. So yeah :)

Enjoy the chapter and thanks so much for the support!

* * *

"Is this really necessary Tama?"

The girl took a large lock of Ace's hair and tied it in a high bun. The older boy's hair was in two high buns with a pink and yellow ribbon each holding them up. Ace frowned as he allowed his little sister to play with his hair.

"Yes! I'm learning how to do hair so I can wear mine in different cute styles." Tama answered. She inserted some bobby pins in his hair to keep down the loose strands.

"But why on me though? You can't do this on your own hair?" Ace suggested.

"It's hard to practice on my own hair. That's why I need to practice on other people's hair before doing it on my own."

Ace raised a questioning brow. "I feel like that a silly excuse. You just said that so you can touch my hair."

Tama stuck part of her tongue out. "Well, your hair is really soft and curly. Not like Luffy's. His is wild and untamed."

Ace chuckled at that. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment."

"All done." Tama took her small green mirror and brought it up to Ace's face. "How did I do?"

Ace eyed his reflection and was surprised that his hair was parted so evenly. Every hair was smooth and intact. He felt the twin buns out and nodded in approval. "Wow Tama, you're pretty good at this."

Tama smiled proudly. "Thanks Ace."

Luffy suddenly burst into the house, breathing heavily with a flyer in his other hand. The first thing he saw was Tama standing on the couch behind Ace. His eyes then shifted to his older brother, whose hair was in tight twin buns. Luffy raised a brow and was about to speak until Ace interrupted him by lifting his index finger.

"Not a single word." Ace warned with a death glare.

Luffy slowly nodded and quickly shook his head from the confusion. "Whatever. Anyway, guys, there's a pie contest going on at the Raftel festival today. We should all go together."

"Why exactly?" Ace said.

Tama wrapped cleaned off her comb. "Yeah, what's in it for us?"

"Uh...well...um, free pie for everyone?" Luffy smiled, shrugging his shoulders innocently.

Ace and Tama gave him deadpan expressions.

"Oh, c'mon! It'll be fun! There might be extra free pies for you two. I mean, who wouldn't turn that down?" Luffy whined.

Ace and Tama kept staring at him, their expressions unchanging.

"Okay, it's nothing in it for you guys, just for me. But c'mon, we're family. You guys are supposed to support me."

Ace sighed, "Luffy, ever since we were little, you always dragged me into countless trouble and I don't feel like it today. I rather have Tama do my hair all day...ow!" Ace rubbed the spot on his head that Tama smacked him with her comb. "What gives Tama?"

"You sound like this isn't a fun thing to do and I'm holding you hostage." Tama pouted.

"_Because it isn't and you kinda are_." Ace thought to himself.

"Please, do it for me. I have no one else to go with me. All of my friends texted me saying they're too busy to hang out. Even Usopp is busy today, and he's always available to hang out."

"What is he doing today?" Ace asked.

"He started dating Kaya last week so they are going on their first date today. But that's beside the point. Please..." Luffy got on his knees and brought his hands together in plead. "I'm begging you two. Please go with me."

The two siblings tried to stay strong against Luffy's constant begging. But to their disadvantage, Luffy's owlish eyes beamed through their weak-willed hearts. Eventually, they both sighed in defeat. They really do have a soft spot for their brother.

"Fine." Ace and Tama both said.

Luffy perked up, his eyes shining with hope. "Really!? You guys are the best!" Luffy ran over and tackled them with a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah." Ace said, patting his back.

"Luffy, you're squeezing my lungs..." Tama struggled to breathe.

When the three got up, they quickly grabbed their own belongings and headed towards the front door.

"So, where is this pie contest happening again?" Ace asked. Taking out the ribbons, his wavy raven locks gracefully fell down in front of his freckled face.

"At the Raftel festival. The festival should be just starting now, so we have plenty of time before the pie contest begins."

"Do you know what kind of pies the contest will have?" Tama asked.

Luffy shrugged, "Dunno. I just hope they have many delicious flavors though."

"Why do I have a weird feeling in my stomach that we're about to get into some trouble?" Ace said, opening the front door.

After he let Tama walk out first, he walked out the door right after, so Luffy was the last one out.

"That's probably just your stomach growling." Luffy brushed off, closing the door behind him.

Ace eyes squinted as they adjusted to the beaming summer sunlight. "I hope so."

**ooo**

**The Raftel festival**

The three siblings walked through the crowded event, taking in the different attractions going on around them.

There were exciting rides, some mild ones, and others on the more extreme side. Small game booths were placed at every corner, with people shouting to promote their stations. If one was smart, they would see through their friendly façade and notice that they were actually trying to get people to play their rigged, money-stealing games.

The smell of fried food, grilled meat, and sweets mixed together to create a mouthwatering festival aroma. Luffy drooled a little as he eyed the many foods he passed by.

"Look at all the tasty meat..." Luffy commented.

"This place looks fun. There so many things to do. So many people are here too." Ace mentioned.

Tama was in awe by everything her eyes were absorbing. "Everything looks so bright and pretty!" Looking up ahead, she saw stacks of stuffed animals that were hung up at one booth. "Oh! Look at all the cute plushies!"

Ace look up ahead to see a milk bottle toss game was taking place. The person running it was giving out different prizes; toy water guns, traditional Japanese face masks, and colorful stuffed animals. He looked down at Tama, "You want a stuffed animal, Tama?"

The small girl turned around and quickly nodded. "Yes! I really want one."

Ace grabbed a hold of her hand, "Well, I'll win you one then." He turned to Luffy, "Hey Lu, me and Tama will be over at the milk bottle game. We'll catch up with you when the pie contest starts."

Luffy tilted his head like a confused dog. "Wait, why are saying this?"

Ace sweatdropped, "Aren't you suppose to sign up for the contest so that you can participate?"

Luffy confused face perked up into one of realization. "Oh, yeah! I forgot you have to do all that stuff."

Ace sighed, "Just go before enough people sign up before you do. Text me before you start so Tama and I can get a good view of the contest. You sure you don't need me to assist you?"

Luffy chuckled and waved him off. "I got this. Just win Tama that plushie and I let you know when we start. I'm a grown man, I can handle myself."

"_Luffy, you're thirteen_." Ace thought to himself.

The middle sibling lifted up a high wave. "See you two later!"

With that, he walked off, soon disappearing within the large crowd of people.

Tama looked up and saw the concerned look on Ace's face. She tightened her grip on his hand to get his attention. "Don't worry Ace, Luffy will be fine. He may be not the sharpest tool in the box, but he got this."

Ace formed a small smile at Tama's innocent faith in Luffy. It's sweet that their little sister has this unconditional trust in both of them. But as the oldest out of the three, there was no way he couldn't worry about him. Especially since leaving Luffy alone meant that he'll, nine times out of ten, get himself in some form of trouble.

He took a deep breath, softly squeezed on Tama's hand, then proceeded to walk towards the milk bottle game attraction.

"I hope so Tama. I really hope so."

**ooo**

Luffy saw the contest area in his line of vision. Pushing past the sea of people, he proceeded towards where the tables were sitting. All of a sudden, his face bumped into something hard.

"Gyah!" Luffy fell on the ground, soothing out his forehead.

Looking up, the first thing he saw was a bulky back. The person he knocked into turned around with a mean mug sitting on his face. His spiky, gelled red hair stood up, tightly collected by the goggles wrapped around his forehead. Luffy quickly eyed him from head to toe. Two things that stood out to him the most were that his nails were painted black and his lips were a reddish-purple color.

Luffy instantly recognized the person standing before him.

Kid lifted a surprised brow when he took a good look at the person who bumped into him. "Straw Hat?"

"Straw Hat" was Luffy's nickname around town and his neighborhood. People who weren't in Luffy's close circle of friends and family tend to call him that. This was due to him always wearing his signature straw hat ever since he was in the first grade. Since most of his school mates of that time grew up with him, the name just stuck throughout the years. Kid was four years older than him, so they weren't in the same grade, but they grew up in the same area. So, even though Kid rarely talked to Luffy, he knew him since they were little.

Luffy immediately looked up at the tall teenager. "Kid?"

The redhead smirked, "You're the last person I thought I would see here."

Luffy stood up, "I'm about to enter the pie contest up there. But you're standing in my way."

Kidd frowned, "You need to get in line, asshole. You're not the only one signing up for this."

Luffy lifted a brow and poked his head out to see what was in front of them. Eight people were standing in front of Kid, patiently waiting to sign their name on the sign-up sheet.

Luffy pouted, "Oh..."

"Yeah, "oh". Now get your ass in line like the rest of us." Kid turned around, leaving Luffy to stare at his back.

Luffy stood up and dusted himself off. He waited behind Kid as he stared at his surroundings.

About a minute later, Luffy rapidly tapped on Kid's back. "Hey Kid, since you're in my view, can you tell me how many people are in front of you now? I'm tired of standing."

The veins in Kid's forehead were starting to pop out. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth to try to suppress his rising annoyance. But it was really hard to do that when he kept feeling Luffy's finger obnoxiously poke his back.

The ginger let out a long sigh.

This scrawny kid was going to be the death of him...

**ooo**

Ace huffed in frustration as he held the last baseball in his hands. The carny sighed as he watched him with his arms crossed. Tama smiled nervously as she observed her older brother. This was his fourth attempt at trying to strike the stacks of milk bottles. He only had one bottle left to hit, but to his disadvantage, he only has one ball left to try to knock it down.

Ace raised the ball up to his chest then threw it as hard as he could towards the milk bottle. The ball somehow missed the milk bottle, making the bottle move a little but not enough to knock it down. Ace clenched his teeth in anger and slammed his fist on the booth desk. Tama patted his back, "It's okay Ace, I can live without the plushie. It's really fine."

The carny sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Look kid, I'll give you a plushie for free. This is starting to become an eyesore."

Ace shot up and dug in his pocket. After slamming more money on the desk, he motioned for him to give him another set. "Give me three more baseballs."

The carny walked up and picked up the cash. "Well, I can never deny more cash." He bent to the ground and handed him the three baseballs. "Fling away."

Tama fiddled with her fingers out of nervousness. "Ace..."

"Don't worry Tama, I'll win you that plushie festival and square. Just be a little more patient with me."

"Okay. Just make sure you do it soon because the contest is going to start soon."

Ace patted her head in reassurance. "I know. I know. We'll get to see him in time, I promise."

**ooo**

Luffy sat down in one of the chairs after signing up for the pie contest. Looking to his left, he saw Kid stretching out his muscles, too busy in his own self-observed world to notice him staring. He then turned to his right and saw someone who made him his brows perk up instantly.

The nervous boy was quivering in fear, running his fingers through his short pink hair.

"Coby?" Luffy called out.

The owner of the name turned to the nearby voice. He was shocked to see someone he knew all too well.

"L-Luffy!? What are you doing here?"

Luffy chuckled, "I should be asking you that. I just doing this contest for fun. Why is a nerdy guy like you entering this contest?"

Coby sulked as his head hung low. "Blunt as ever I see."

Luffy didn't respond as he waited for his answer.

Coby sighed and turned to him. "My mother has been in a lot of pain lately so she's currently at the hospital. She needs an operation to make it stop but she doesn't have the money for it. It's only me and her so we have no one else to depend on to help us out. So, I decided to enter this contest so that I can win the cash prize but...knowing that you and all of these people are my competition..." Coby placed his face in the palms of his hands. "How am I gonna win? Man, I really dug myself in a hole this time."

Luffy was silent as his friend from school became increasingly worried. He reached over to pat his back, providing some comfort.

"I believe you can do it, Coby."

Coby looked up with a hopeful smile, "Really?"

"No."

"Oh..." Coby sulked again.

"But all you can do is try your best and that should be enough to prove to your mom that you're trying."

Coby thought about his words and nodded. "You know...you're right. Thank you Luffy."

Luffy flashed him a big smile. He softly slapped Coby's back to lift his spirits. "Anything for a friend."

**ooo**

Ace stared at the last milk bottle that was positioned at a weird angle from where he was standing. He held his last baseball tightly in his slightly damp hands as he brought it close to his chest. Tama and the carny watched him for five minutes and haven't seen him move a muscle.

The carny tapped his fingers against the booth desk impatiently. Don't get him wrong, he loves that some of his customers get stubborn and pay him repeatedly just so they can try to win the game. But this one is on his thirty-fifth attempt and he's honestly tired of watching him lose constantly. He had never met anyone who was this determined and stubborn just to win a stupid plushie.

"Dude, just give it up. You're just going to lose again. I want to see new customers."

"Shut up! You're gonna make me lose my concentration."

The carny sighed and buried his head into his arms. He was done fighting with him.

Ace took a deep breath and flung the ball as quick as he can. He closed his eyes because he was too nervous to watch if the ball would hit the milk bottle or not. He was out of money so this was his last chance to get Tama the plushie she wants.

A few microseconds later, there was a sound that rung through his ears.

_Clink_.

His eyes were still closed shut, fearing that the bottle was still standing if he opens them. He didn't know if that sound was part of his wishful imagination or if that was what he really heard.

Tama gasped and grabbed Ace by the arm. "Ace! Look!"

Ace gathered up some courage and opened his eyes. His dark eyes scanned the area in front of him and saw that the last bottle was knocked over.

It took Ace a moment before he realized that he won the game. "I won...hey I won!"

Tama jumped up for joy. "Yay, you won! I knew you could do it!"

Ace picked Tama up and swung her around. She hugged him and buried her face in his neck. "Thank you, Ace."

Ace grinned as he patted her back. "I told you I'd win you that plushie."

Tama chuckled as he set her down. The carny lifted his head up and looked behind him. When he saw that the stubborn customer actually won, he lifted his arms up in satisfaction.

"Oh, thank god. Now choose a plushie and go away. Please, for my sanity."

Ace looked down at Tama, "You said you wanted the blue bunny, right?"

Tama nodded and pointed to it. "Yep, it's right there."

The carny quickly got it and handed it over to Tama. "Now please leave so that other people can play."

Ace and Tama turned around to see a huge line of impatient people who were waiting to play. Many people shot Ace exhausted and dirty looks as they stood behind him. The freckled teen rubbed the back of his head and smiled apologetically. He grabbed Tama's hand and fast-walked from the booth.

Tama's stomach rumbled, loud enough for Ace to hear. He turned to her and chuckled. "You hungry?"

She nodded as she patted her stomach. "A little. I haven't eaten anything since this morning."

"Let's get something to eat...then." He felt his pockets and remembered that he used all of his money at the game. "Damn, I'm broke."

"That's okay, I got enough cash for both of us to eat." Tama pulled out ten bucks from her skirt pocket. Ace lifted a brow, "How do you have ten bucks?"

"Luffy dropped it one day and I picked it up. I just never gave it back to him."

Ace shook his head. "You're one sneaky little girl, you know that?"

Tama flashed him a mischievous grin.

"Well, I'm starving too so I don't really care that you stole it from Lu. Let's find a place quickly so we can make the pie-eating contest in time."

"Yeah." Tama agreed.

Once they got some takoyaki to snack on, they approached the contest area. People were already beginning to gather around the contest, eager to see it up close. Ace lifted his hand out to Tama. "I'm going to try to push us up to the front, so grab my hand so you won't get lost."

"Okay." Tama placed her hand within his palm and allowed him to guide her through the gathering crowd. From Tama's perspective, the people looked like the tall trees in the forest, high and slightly intimidating. The tight closeness of everyone around her made her feel nervous, but she kept a firm hold on Ace's hand as they walked past them.

Thankfully, Ace was able to get a spot upfront. It felt like seeing the light at the end of a dark tunnel, seeing the afternoon sky that was blocked by people's backs. Tama breathed in the fresh air, seeing all of the contestants sitting down at their tables.

Tama's eyes widened with joy when she saw Luffy picking his nose at the second table.

"Big bro!" Tama called out.

"Luffy!" Ace shouted to get his attention.

After three loud calls later, Luffy looked up to see his siblings waving at him. A happy smile graced his face, causing him to jump up from his seat.

"Hey, you guys came!"

"Of course we did dummy. You dragged us over here, this would be a blank trip if we did miss this." Ace grinned.

Luffy chuckled, "Just you two wait! I'm gonna try to win this thing!"

Kid smirked, "You better own up to those words, Straw Hat. Cause you know damn well I'm gonna demolish this contest"

"We'll see about that." Luffy turned to him with a challenging grin.

Ace's eyes widen a little when he saw the guy next to Luffy. His mind flashbacked to a couple months back. That was the same guy he caught Bonney messing around with. He couldn't forget that same smug look he gave him when he caught the two of them in the treacherous act.

Ace fists tightened up as a small vein slowly popped in his forehead. Even though he was more upset at Bonney for that situation, he still had a burning urge to punch that guy in the face.

Tama noticed his silence and looked up at him. "Ace?"

"Hmm?" The eldest brother grunted, his burning stare still in Kid's direction.

"You okay?"

Ace flashed her a fake smile (or made a strong attempt to) and patted her head. "Don't worry Tams, I'm just fine. Just..." He looked over at Kid again then cracked his knuckles. "...fine."

Tama sweatdropped, "Why do I have a feeling that you really aren't?"

A middle-aged looking man cleared his throat and tapped on the microphone. "Welcome everyone to the 45th annual Raftel festival pie contest! I'm happy all of you lovely people came out today! Let's give a hand to our contestants here shall we!"

Everyone in the crowd clapped and cheered as the ten contestants soaked up the attention.

"Now let's quickly introduce our brave contestants before we get started." The announcer walked up to Coby first, causing the young teen to flinch due to nervousness. "First up is a thirteen-year-old who goes to East Blue Middle School! Everyone, here is Coby!"

Only a few people clapped, which included Ace and Tama out of politeness. Luffy was the only contestant who clapped as well, gaining a few confused looks from the other participants.

"Next is a seventeen-year-old who goes to East Blue High! He is a runner back for his football team and captain of the mechanic team. Everyone, welcome Eustass Kid!"

A lot of people in the crowd cheered for the cocky redhead. Even some of his buddies from his school made rowdy howls and whistles to show their support. Ace slowly clapped while not cracking a single smile, throwing a hard stare over towards the participant. Tama noticed this from the corner of her eye and shivered from the overwhelming tension she felt from him.

"Our next contester is a lanky thirteen-year-old with a cool looking straw hat! He goes to East Blue Middle just like Coby and in quote "loves meat more than anything in the world"! Looks like he should have entered the meat contest then, am I right!?"

The crowd laughed at the joke. Luffy eyes beamed with curious wonder. "Do they really have a meat contest!? Where can I sign up!?"

Kid side-eyed him, "It was a joke idiot. There's no meat contest."

"Introducing, Monkey D. Luffy!" The announcer pointed towards him.

Ace and Tama clapped loudly and whistled for their brother. A good handful in the entire crowd clapped for him and Coby softly clapped for him as well.

The announcer introduced the other seven contestants, followed with respectful clapping and excited cheers. Once he was done with the introductions, he formed an eager grin. "Now let's explain the rules. It's simple, all you got to do is eat more pies than your opponents. And whoever eats the most pies wins the contest! The winner gets a thousand dollar cash prize, a shiny pie trophy, and credit of your win known all around town! Alright, are you ready contesters!?"

The contesters eagerly nodded in response.

"Great! Now, let the contest begin! One! Two! Three! Start!"

The ten contestants wasted no more time and dug in the pies before them. The crowd watched in anticipation and keen interest. They all hoped that their pick for the winner ate as many pies than their opponents.

**...**

Around thirty minutes later, seven contesters tapped out of the contest. It was either out of lack of will to persevere or became sick and vomited the many pies they consumed. Kid, Luffy, and surprisingly, Coby were the only ones left. The three boys kept their pace by quickly consuming the many pies, trying their very best to keep eating until they were the last one standing.

Kid was beginning to reach his limit. Since he was a big guy with a huge appetite, he thought he could demolish this contest with ease. But after quickly finishing his thirty-fifth pie, he didn't know how many more he can take.

Coby didn't know how the hell he made this far in the contest. He was usually a bird eater. The lengths his stomach was taking by consuming these thirty-something pies amazed him, to say the least. Crazy how the body always has something new to show every day. Coby, knowing himself, would have quit by the sixth pie. But he needed this money for his mother. All she needed was a few hundred dollars to go with this operation that can make her pain stop. He had to do it for her. He can't stop. He's too deep into this to give up now.

The mental image of his mother smiling peacefully invaded his mind. Tears welled in the young teen's eyes as he kept going. When he finished his thirty-sixth pie, he burped and huffed for a moment before diving into the next apple pie.

Luffy ate through the pies with ease. Four bites were all he needed to finish each pie he munched on. Now that Luffy thought about it, he doesn't really care about winning the prize. He can care less about it. Honestly, he just entered this contest because he was really hungry. Plus, he was craving some pies ever since he heard about this contest. After gulping down his thirty-seventh pie, he began to wonder why he was even continuing the contest. He already got what he truly wanted.

Looking to his front, he saw his siblings cheering him on.

"Let's go Luffy! Show them how we eat in this family!" Ace shouted.

"You can do it, big bro! I believe in you!" Tama encouraged.

Luffy smiled through his eating. He couldn't ask for a better brother and sister.

Looking to his left, he got a side-view of Kid falling to his knees. The huge redhead held his stomach and tapped out. "I...can't do this...anymore."

"And Kid is out! Now it's just Luffy and Coby! This is it folks, whoever gives in first will make their opponent the winner! Who will win this highly anticipated contest!?"

Coby was trying his very best to keep eating but his stomach was way past its limit. The pink-haired teen was about to fall backwards until he felt a firm hand yank his arm forward. Coby's body flung forward, causing his chin to slam into the table.

Coby's eyes widen as he turned to see Luffy's grin. Luffy fell to the ground while holding his stomach. Coby didn't have time to react until the crowd and the announcer gasped.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Monkey D. Luffy finally gave in. And by the looks of it, he is unable to continue the contest. So that means that the winner is...Coby!" The announcer shouted through his microphone. Helmeppo was the first to clap until the crowd collectively clapped a few seconds later.

Coby couldn't believe what was happening right now. Did everyone not see what Luffy just did? It all happened so fast that he didn't have enough time to protest his win.

"No, no, you got it all wrong everyone. Luffy-"

"YAY! YOU WON COBY! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!" Luffy shouted over him while clapping loudly.

Coby tried to get his explanation out to the public but Luffy kept talking over him. Luffy then wrapped his arm around Coby's shoulder and got close to his ear.

"Just run with it, Coby. You deserve this win way more than I do. Just accept this and go help out your mom." Luffy whispered.

Coby looked up to see Luffy flashing him a cheerful smile and a thumbs up. A soft smile lifted Coby's cheeks. His eyes shined through the thick lens of his glasses.

"_Thank you, Luffy_."

The award giver gave him the trophy and the cash prize. The crowd was chanting his name, showering him with non-stop praises. The short teen rubbed the back of his head as his face turned red, clearly embarrassed from all the attention.

Luffy walked off as Helmeppo and other people from their school crowded around him. He formed a smile from that practically went from ear to ear when his siblings walk up to him.

"Nice one Luffy, that was cool of you to do." Ace said, giving him a high five.

Luffy turned his head like a confused dog. "Huh? What do you mean?

"Oh, cut the pretending bull crap. I know you purposely lossed."

Luffy perked up, "Really!? How did you know?"

"I caught you secretly grabbing that kid's arms when he was about to fall down. Plus, I saw a little bit of that shit-eating grin as you pretended to fall down. You're not fooling me."

Tama gasped, "Wow, I didn't even see that. I thought Luffy actually loss. You got a great eye, Ace!"

Ace smirked, "Well when you're an older brother of two rambunctious siblings, you can't help but have the eyes of a hawk."

Luffy suddenly felt something hug his backside. When he turned around, he saw Tama's face hidden in the crevice of his back. Luffy chuckled as he picked her up, "Hey, Tama."

"I'm happy that you did that for your friend Luffy, but I really wanted you to win." She admitted, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He responded with an optimistic smile. "It's fine Tama. I didn't really care about the prize anyway. I honestly just wanted to eat some pies."

Ace sweatdropped, "Of course you did."

"Oi, what kinda bullshit is this!" A voice shouted.

The three turned their attention back towards where the contest was. The top half of Coby's shirt was balled up in Kid's fist. The tall teen face was as red as his hair, forming the angriest expression on his usual angry face (if that was even possible). Coby was sweating bullets, shivering as he hung in the air by Kid's hand.

"Please...let me go!" Coby pleaded while squirming.

"No! How the hell did a shrimp like you win this stupid contest!? You must have cheated or done some crazy nerdy shit to make yourself win! Fuck that, I'm not gonna let you get away with that!"

"Let him go you bastard!" Luffy shouted. He was about to set Tama down but Ace brought his hand in front of him.

"It's okay, Lu. I got this."

Luffy brows came together. "What are you..."

Ace didn't let him finish as he walked up towards Kid. "Hey, you!"

Kid turned his head and took a good look at Ace. Once he recognized him, he grinned cockily. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Bonney's ex bitch. Fancy seeing you here."

"Let the kid go." Ace ordered, ignoring his insult.

"Oh yeah?" He walked up to him, still holding on to Coby's shirt. "And what are going to do about it? What is the guy who loved a girl who didn't give a shit about him really going to do to me?"

Ace balled up his fist. "This, jackass."

He punched his jaw as hard as he could, causing the crowd to gasp from surprise. Kid immediately let Coby go and held on to his nose. He quickly felt a rush of red liquid leave his nostrils. "Arrrg, fuck! My nose is bleeding!

Ace let out a breath of relief. "Damn that felt good."

Kid sat up and shot Ace a death glare. "You-"

Tama ran up and shoved a pie in his face, causing him to step back. "Take this you jerk."

Kid backed up and fell on the nearby table. Due to his heavy body weight, the table legs broke, causing him to fall back on the ground.

Luffy burst out laughing while pointing at him. Tama and Ace gave each other a thumbs up with cheeky smiles. Kid wiped the pie cream from his face and flicked it off harshly. "You know what, since you want to keep fucking with me..." Kid placed the tips of his two fingers in his mouth and whistled. Suddenly a group of ruffians appeared from the dark corners of the festival.

Kid's gang crowded around Ace, Luffy, and Tama, making the siblings back into each other. Ace made sure to stand in front and brought his arm out against them. "Get back you two."

Kid made a sick smirk as he stood up. "Rough em' up boys."

"Stop right there!" A distant voice called out.

Everyone turned to where the voice came from. A group of security guards stood behind Kid's gang with frustrated looks on their faces.

"You...you no good thugs are the ones who sprayed graffiti all over the festival attractions. I want you all the freeze and come with us peacefully!" The head security guard shouted.

"Now's our chance, let's bounce." Ace whispered to Tama and Luffy. Both nodded and began to walk off. Luffy immediately thought of Coby so he turned around to face his friend.

"BYE COBY, I'LL SEE YOU AT SCHOOL! TAKE CARE, OKAY!?" Luffy yelled. He waved his arms while walking backward.

"Bye Luffy! Thank you for everything!" Coby shouted back, waving back.

Kid's gang turned around and remembered what they were trying to do to them. "Don't think we forgot about you three!" Kid shouted.

Ace slapped Luffy upside the head. "You idiot! You just had to yell! We could have escaped without them noticing!"

"Well, it's too late for that. Let's run for it!" Luffy said.

The three siblings ran away as Kid and his gang chased them down, followed by the security guards chasing after the ruffians. To their luck, they quickly outran angry chase as they ran with all their might. Which wasn't a surprise since Garp occasionally makes them do running exercises during ungodly hours in the morning.

They soon lost them by doing many quick turns and ran through a few alternate routes. When the coast was clear, they began to walk as they caught their breaths. The sun was starting to go down, so the sky was a painted mixture of purple, orange, and red hues.

"I never thought I would thank gramps for all those running exercises until now." Ace spoke, huffing out a gush of air.

"Think we lost them?" Tama asked, looking up at him.

Ace looked back and didn't see anyone in sight. "We had to. If they were still chasing us, we would have heard them from afar."

"That was so much fun!" Luffy laughed while adjusting his straw hat.

Ace and Tama sweatdropped.

"What are you made of? I would really like to know." Ace responded.

"See guys? I told you that the Raftel festival would be fun. If you two didn't come with me then you two would be bored in the house all Saturday."

"Yeah, because you basically forced us to go with you."

Luffy childishly pouted, "I didn't make you do anything. I just wanted you guys to see me do the pie contest."

"A contest you didn't even win." Tama added.

"You're still not over that Tama? When you're older you'll understand why Luffy did that for his friend." Ace patted her head.

Tama pouted and slapped his hand away. "Don't patronize me! Luffy won that contest festival and square. No matter if I'm eight or eighty-five, I will always be salty about it."

"Okay sassy pants, you didn't even use the word "patronize" right. And where did you learn the word "salty"?" Ace teased, stealing her stuffed bunny.

"On the internet and give Mr. Fluff Nuggets back!" Tama jumped as high as she could to grab it back but Ace was too tall for her.

"You got to chase me down first if you want it." Ace ran off. He held Tama's plushie high in the air, way out of her reach.

"Come back here Ace! You can't just win me a stuffed bunny then steal it away from me." Tama chased after him.

Luffy snapped out of his lax state as he saw his siblings run along the sidewalk. He quickly removed his hands from behind his head and chased after them.

"Hey guys, wait up! Don't leave me behind!"

The siblings chased each other with Ace teasing laughter, Tama determination, and Luffy's attempt to keep up with them. They may not show it on the outside, but deep down, they were at their most content.

* * *

Well, that's it! This little fic series was fun to create. Thanks to you all for the support and have a good day or night whenever you're reading this.

_**"Art is a marriage of the conscious and the unconscious." - **__**Jean Cocteau**_

-NinjaQueen33


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